Unity comes through communication, sincerity, harmony, and reconciliation. To perfect our union with our brothers and sisters, we need to first recognize the strengths and weaknesses that exist within ourselves, our prayer-groups and our churches. Should a weakness arise, prayer and reconciliation can rectify our union. Sustained harmony is a channel towards receiving the Holy Spirit.

Beware the Jezebel SpiritBy Vassula RydenIntroductionOne reason why God created man was to prove to Satan that not only was it in His nature to want to communicate His glory to created beings but that He could deify him, "like the Most High", out of the very dust of the earth. This creature would rise out of the slimy origins of corruptible matter and be exalted to the supreme heights of divinity, becoming a god by participation. This is why man in his restored and sanctified state stands over and above the ranks of even the angels. In the Orthodox worship, our Blessed Mother can be called; "the sweetness of the angels," and "higher than the heavens," and "more honourable than the cherubim and beyond compare, more glorious than the seraphim."

But our adversary, Satan, from the moment God created us was against us. Envious that God has created us in His image and likeness, he never ceased to use his freedom to put man to the test and tempt him for his fall.

Today, the world does not believe in the existence of Satan as an evil spirit or any other evil spirit, nor does it believe in the other dark forces that plague God's creation. To accept that the evil spirits exist is already to have conquered part of the spiritual battle. But Jesus warned us that in our days, the latest trick of Satan is to make people believe he does not exist nor that there is a place like hell. Many Christians today are not aware of his presence and the presence of the evil spirits either on the physical aspect of things or in the spiritual sense, and the effect these evil spirits can do to us. Thus by rejecting this reality, we are giving Satan and his fallen angels their freedom to move and go about without being detected and without hindering them. Satan is not just a form of evil, or an energy, or an idea, but a real personality with intelligence. With him are hordes of other evil spirits who are in the same battle against the Kingdom of God, that were they to be physically seen by the eye, they would darken the sun.

We know and have learnt that evil spirits are never content to roam around marshlands and open spaces, but are always seeking to make their abode into a body and soul. They roam to look for "openings" and opportunities to lodge in souls. Apparently, demons are never impressed while being exorcised by timid and effeminate persons, perhaps this is why we find in the Orthodox Tradition the practice of literally blowing away the demons and spitting at them. In the baptismal rite the person who is being baptised is asked to blow and spit at Satan three times. An Orthodox priest says on this: "How regrettable that some priests have discontinued this custom, finding it vulgar and distasteful! O, if they only realized what a service they do to Satan! He sure is fond of persons with such qualities of courtesy and refinement and appreciates their cooperation..."

A Greek Orthodox father said: "The Orthodox Church obviously has a vivid awareness of the reality of the devil as an invisible personality who not only seeks to take over the souls and bodies of men, but also dwells in material things like homes, certain rooms, the air and water. Before a person is immersed in the baptismal water, the water is always exorcised so that it might be liberated from demonic powers. For example, the priest prays to God that "all invisible phantoms of the air depart from us and let no demon of darkness be hidden in this water, nor, we beseech Thee, O Lord, allow to descend, with him who is now being baptized, any evil spirit which bringeth defective reason and confusion of thought." He then blows into the water three times in the form of a cross and signing it with his hand which he dips three times, he says, "By the sign of Thy precious Cross let all adverse powers be shattered!"

Many Christians are not aware that they might be carriers of one demon or more. They can never imagine that whatever physical or psychological illness they suffer could be caused by evil spirits that made their home in them. Many emotional disorders, neurosis, break downs, unfounded fears, anxieties, migraine headaches, asthma, allergies and other psychosomatic diseases very often are caused by a demon that has taken his abode in the soul and body of a person. In our days if someone suggests to them such a thing, they would laugh at the notion of having such a demon or they would simply think your thoughts are medieval, outdated or superstitious. Leaving such a demon or even ignoring it would simply cause more damage since it would be an invitation to this evil spirit to remain permanently in us.

In this article I shall mainly focus on one spirit, that is very common and found especially in religious circles, but as well in offices, families and circle of friends. One could detect it easily if one knows its behaviour. It is a product of the flesh that opens the door to an evil spirit. It is behaviour that operates through a person to control by the use of manipulative, domineering and intimidating tactics. When it is in the church it is to disrupt the flow of the Spirit. The devil hates the prophetic flow of God, because the prophetic ministry demands repentance and cuts away evil without compromise. The prophet always speaks against Jezebel. Additionally, the prophetic words come with creative power, which renders the enemy helpless. There is such significance in the fact that Jezebel wanted to destroy Elijah. The Jezebel spirit hates the prophetic, uncompromising voice. It cannot accomplish its agenda with a prophet around. However, here, I shall not so much talk about the queen Jezebel, married to King Ahab, because that is from what it gets its name, but because one can read the Scriptures and find out their story. I shall only write of her spirit.

Jezebels have a personality that has been shaped by controlling demonic thoughts. Therefore, the person must be willing to ruthlessly face truth and be willing to let God crucify his flesh. The flesh and its patterns must be subjected to the Holy Spirit daily in order for the person to be permanently set free.

Jesus had warned the Church at Thyatira about this diabolical spirit called Jezebel. Jezebel's aim is to silence God's prophets because in doing so, it destroys the testimony of Jesus, which is the spirit of prophecy (Rev.19:10). It takes you away from the truth and from the words of our Lord given to us for the benefit of His Church, to follow what does not come from God. Expert in aping God, it can lure many faithful away from the real prophetic revelation that is given by God's grace. Since a Jezebel spirit counterfeits the prophetic anointing in gifts, calling, and authority, a prophetic leader will become a target of a Jezebel spirit, as will a church in which the prophetic is held in high regard. A prophetic church and its leaders must realize that if the spirit of Elijah is going to return, so will its counter-spirit - the Jezebel spirit.

In these last days the Holy Spirit led us to be aware more than ever of this evil spirit revealing to us its name. It had infiltrated in some of our prayer groups in the past, causing a lot of damage, frustration, quarrels, and finally division and destruction as well as in the Associations of True life in God. It would not fail to penetrate as well in the good work of the Coordinators' team and disrupt it, but with the grace of our Lord we will always succeed in discerning it and remove it from within our circles before damage is done. Just like the angel removing the darnel from the wheat, I have a feeling that these are the times when our Lord is cleansing His field.

Please read the entire letter, which classifies aspects of the Jezebel Spirit by clicking the address below: